There a guide to modelling? Especially for people like me? I went ahead and bout a Jagdpanther i believe, 1:72 by Dragon. Real tiny and all, though relatively simple ($13 Kit, not too many parts compared to the larger kits). I assume i should paint all the little pieces first, right? The stuff on the outside - the hull, armor, etc can be done when the build is complete?

Oh, and any general tips? If some one has a list of general tips, i can probably sticky it to this forum.

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Hi, glad to see you've joined the world of modeling


I'll be the first to say I'm no expert but my stuff comes out pretty nice. Here are some tips, but allot of it is simply trial and error plus practice.


1.) Prepare to get messy, no matter how clean you think you can be prepare for the worst and grab a newspaper sheet to spread out and allot of napkins.

2.) Get the right equipment, I.E. brushes, paint etc. I'd suggest some very fine brushes and take a glance at your local model/hobby shop for the right paint shades you like. Again this step is trial and error, your paints are entirely dependent on what you are painting.

3.) Have your paint thinner ready in a small container. Dip your brush in it every time you are done with a color, mushing it on the bottom lightly to really work the paint out. Then dry and repeat as necessary.

4.) When you are actually ready to paint decide ahead of time what you want to paint first, try to paint things that will end up the same color in the same sitting so as not to waste paint and thinner. and decide whether or not you want to wait till the model is assembled to paint that part (you should only wait till it's done if the part will be easily accessible, if not paint it while it's still on the plastic racks it comes connected to, then when dry cut it off and paint the spot that you cut.)

5.) This step is very important, Use very little paint on your brush, it goes a long way! I found this out the hard way. Wipe your brush on the side of your paint bottle after dipping and sometimes if you want a light coating brush the excess off on your newspaper.

6.) When ready to paint use a flat black on the areas of the model that you want a dark undertone on (I.E. Shadows worn down areas etc) then go over it lightly with the main color of the object, then if it's metal you can really make it look better by (VERY) lightly (and with a tiny amount of paint on your brush) brushing silver over areas that would be scratched etc.

7.) One more tip, when painting silver weapons paint the entire body black, let it dry, then lightly go over it with silver, it looks very nice in the end.



Hope these helped, and most importantly, Have fun! Models can provide hours of fun and an awesome product on your desk to stare at



Matt

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Well, let's see:

1. Use lacquer thinner to clean brushes. It will dissolve most paints completely. Just dip the brush in and swirl about for a few seconds. Then dry it using a soft cloth or paper towel. Work between the bristles to get it completely clean. "Smushing" it on the bottom of your solvent bottle will only ruin the bristles in the long run.

2. Use liquid glue of the solvent type. No paste types in tubes. For metal parts use either isocyanoacrylic (super glue) or epoxy. The later is better, particularly for making resin kits. Be extremely sparing in using super glue. I would recommend using a small sewing needle in a pin vice to apply it much of the time by capillary action.

3. Make sure to deflash and remove all mold lines from parts before assembly.

4. Wash all the parts while they are still on their sprue using detergent and water. Let dry thoroughly. This removes the mold release and other manufacturing stuff leaving clean parts for assembly and painting.

5. When hand painting parts start with the lightest colors and work to darkest. This doesn't apply if airbrushing. If you have a part that will be silver when painted if hand painting apply a coat of white paint first.

6. Always use an appropriate sized brush when painting.

7. Go easy on dry brushing, washes, etc. These are usually overdone by most modellers.

Rule number 1: Enjoy yourself!

They rarely come out how you'd hoped, (often at the beginning they look like they've been overrun by glue-gun wielding cossacks) but as long as you had fun making it then that doesn't really matter. The next one you make will usually be better... usually.

Be reassured that I hadn't touched a kit for nearly 20 years but after 6 months or so of plastic disasters I began churning out stuff I'm sometimes quite pleased with, the learning curve can be really satisfying, and you can learn a surprising amount about that vehicle in the process:


(Oh yeah, actual advice: use acrylic/water-based paints to begin with. Far less hassle than oil/enamels. And be sure to check out Missing Lynx.)

Cheers (and good luck!),
Adam.

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"Wars cannot be fought with dream stuff" - Sir Percy Hobart.

Thanks for the tips guys! I'll make a new thread with the tips and sticky them later, giving you all credit! I'll also take some pictures as i make the model this week. I hope i have everything i need right off the bat. If not, i'll have to google a hobby shop to see if there is one near here to get paints. I'm pretty sure i have some from the previous attempt of a model i made. Going with winter-colors, mid-years i think.

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Not trying to steer you away from here, but try armorama.com
they have a ton of people who will be more than happy to help
you with any aspect of modeling.

Armorama for sure, been one of em for years. They have some excellent ideas and are deep with talent. Ask any question, someone will answer.

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"Danger Will Robinson!"